Robert Wagner & Richard Basehart in City Beneath The Sea (1971)

Obscurity factor: 6

It's 2053 and the earth is experiencing a rash of earthquakes. To protect the country's wealth the president (Richard Basehart) recalls the former commander of Pacifica, a fabulous submerged city to help direct the transfer of gold as well as a new, highly radioactive element from Fort Knox. There's dirty work a foot, however, when the commander's brother (Wagner) plots to steal the newly transferred loot. Add to that the fact that an asteroid is on a collision course with earth, due to hit close to Pacifica and you have a four star action plot.

This film (though cheesy by today's standards) has a great sci-fi vibe, thanks to director/producer Irwin Allen. Fans of Allen's previous series will recognize lots of props, actors and music from those productions. This TV film - a failed episodic series pilot - was recently released on DVD by the Warner Archives collection. Above is the trailer, uploaded to YouTube by GeneAvenir.

Obscurity factor: 6 (on DVD, known to Allen fans, otherwise forgotten)

Valentina Cortese & Richard Basehart in The House on Telegraph Hill 1951

Hard core film buffs will know Valentina Cortese and Richard Basehart. They're both film industry veterans and have done some significant cinema, however, the casual fan might be unfamiliar with their work. The House on Telegraph Hill, (1951) masterfully directed by Robert Wise, is a great opportunity to see them at their best. This film is beautifully crafted and delightfully suspenseful. It centers around a woman who takes the identity of a deceased, wealthy friend after being imprisoned with her in a concentration camp during WWII. She emigrates to the US to rejoin the woman's son, who was in infant when she was imprisoned. The boy's father was killed in the war, and no one in his prominent San Francisco family knows the mother personally, so she has a chance of taking over her life quietly and completely.  Upon arrival she's welcomed with open arms but strange and accidents begin happening.

I highly recommend this film. It's very well made and lots of fun to watch. It's available on DVD and the trailer is on YouTube. I can't caution you strongly enough against watching the trailer, though. It has some really unfortunate spoilers in it. Avoid it at all costs until you've seen the film. The poster above is available at MoviePostershop.com

Obscurity Factor: 3 (available on DVD, considered a cult classic in some circles)